Island



M. C. MILLER.

CIRCULAR KNUTING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED Aue.20. 1911.

1,322,716. Patentd NOV. 25,1919.

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CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE.

v APPLICATION FILED AUG.20, 191]. 1,322,716, iatented Nov. 25, 1919..

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CIRCULAR KNITTING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED AUG.20, 1917.

1,322,? 1 6. Patented Nov; 25, 1919.

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MAX C. MILLER, 01? CUMBERLAND HILL, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR TO J'ENCKESKNIT- TING MACHINE COMPANY, OF PAWTU'CKE'I, RHODE ISLAND, .A.COBIORATION OF RHODE ISLAND.

CIBCULABPKNITTING MACHINE.

Patented Nov. 25, 1919.

Application filed August 20, 1917.- Serial No. 187,213.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known'that I, MAX C. MILLER, a subject of the Emperor of Germany,residlng atCumberland Hill, in the county of Cumberland and State ofRhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inCircular-Knitting Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to bea full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as willenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same.

The invention relates to circular knitting machines such as are adaptedfor use in knitting seamless stockings or half-hose.

The object of the invention is to provide a novel and improvedconstruction of needle operating and controlling cams whereby the Ineedles may be conveniently leveled below prises the features ofconstruction and com-- binations of parts hereinafter described andreferred to in the claims.

The various features of the invention will be readily understood from aninspection of the accompanying drawings and the following detaileddescription of the constructions illustrated therein.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is an elevation showing a portion of theinterior of the cam cylinder of a machine embodying the invention; Figs.2, 3,4 and 5 are similar views showing the parts in differentpositions;-

Fig. (3 is a sectional elevation on line 6, Fig. 1; Fig. 7 is asectional elevation on line 7, Fig. 2; Fig. '8 is a sectional detail online 8, Fig. l, and Figs. 9, 10 and 11 are diagrammatic views showing amodified. form of the invention. i

In the drawings the invention is shown as embodied in a machine in whichthe needles 2 are mounted ina rotary needle cylinder 4 which may berotated and reciprocated in the usual manner by any suitable orwellknown mechanism. The instep needles which are not active during thereciprocatory knitting on the heel and toe, are provided with longbutts, indicated in Fig. 6, while the needles which are active duringciprocatory knitting,

, path of reeiprocatory knitting are provided with short butts, in thisclass of machines. The stitch formmg cams which form the knitting wavesin theneedles comprise the stitch cams 6 and 8 and the cooperatin needleraising side earns 10 and 12 whic raise the needles to the tuck levelafter they have passed under the corresponding stitch cams. The stitchcam 6 is active during both rotary and reand may be termed the cam,while the stitch cam 8 is during reciprocatory knitting upon the heeland toe, and may be conveniently termed the heel stitch cam. A centercam plate14i is arranged between the stitch cams and is provided withinclined edges underlying the needle depressing surfaces of the stitchcams and cooperating therewith to form needle passages which determinethe movement of the needle butts. This rotary stitch active onlyindicated in Fig. 7, as is usual cam is also provided with a groove orneedle passage 16 which is arranged to register with the needle buttswhen the needles are at the tuck level, and through which the needlebutts pass in doing transfer work, as will be more fully described. Thestitch cams are mounted to yield vertically so that each'cam may bemoved down out of the needle path by the engagement of the needle buttswith to raise the needles from the tuck level to the clear level. Inorder that the needle butts may depress the cams into inactive position,cover cam plates 18 and 20 are arranged over the. stitch cams in suchposition the back of the cam when it actsthat a passage for the needlebutts is formed a when the corresponding stitch cam is in its depressedposition,

by the upper end of the stitch cam when in .its raised or activeposition. The manner of mounting the stitch cams is indicated in Fig. 8,in which the cam (3 is shown secured on the inner end of a radiallyarranged arm 22, the outer end of which is pivoted in a support 24. Thespring 26 interposed between the arm and the base of the support tendsto hold the active position, which is determined by the stop screw 28.The stitch cam 8 is similarly mounted and supported, and the support 24for this cam is mounted for radial movement on a guide-plate 30 securedupon a fixed supporting plate 32. The slide is retained the passagebeing closed 7 stitch cam in its raised or p on the guide-plate by ascrew 34 which passes through a slot in the slide and is provided with ahead overlying its upper surface. The slide may be moved manually in themanner hereinafter described, or may be thus moved automatically throughsuitable connection with the operating or pattern mechanism. The slidefor the cam 6 may be moved radially to facilitate the movement of theneedle cylinder or for inspection.

To enable the needles to be leveled with their hooks below theweb-holding sinkers 36, the needleraising cams 10 and 12 and the centercam plate 14 are mounted upon a vertically movable ring or segment 38.During the knitting the ring 38 is held in its raised position by a camring or segment 40, the upper edge of which i provided with a series ofcams 42 engaging rolls 44 on the ring 38,.as indicated in Figs. 1 and 6.

During rotary knitting the needle butts pass throughthe cams in the pathindicated inFig. 1. WVhen the knitting is completed and the needles areto be leveled for the transfer of the stitches of a ribbed top there to,the stitch cam 8 is withdrawn from the path of the short but-ts whilethe long butts are passing, so that they will pass it and go through theneedle passage 16. During the passage of the short butts the stitch cam8 is moved radially out of the path of the long butts, so that they.also pass through the needle passage 16, all the needles except thosepassing under the stitch cam 6 being brought to the truck level. The camring 40 is now turned toward the right in Fig. 1

thus lowering the needleelevating and center cams into the positionindicated in Fig. 2. Theneedle cylinder is then turned through arevolution,,and'during this move.- ment of the needle cylinder'a levelincam 46 acts to level the needles with their ooks substantially at thelevel to which they are drawn by the stitch cams during the knit tingoperation, as indicated in Figs. 2 and 7. As shown, the leveling cam 46is pivotally mounted in a bearing 48 on the ring 38, and is held inposition with its upper end hearing against the under side of thecovercam 20 by a coiled spring 56. The lower end of the cam overlies theupper side of the needle raisin cam 12, so that a needle passage isforme between the cams. After the needles have been leveled the latchring of themachine is raised and the machine is stopped in case theoperations above referred to have been automatically effected. The quillring carr ing the top which is to be transferred 60 to te needles isthen applied to the webholdlng sinkers, the quills of the ring entermgthe spaces between the sinkers so that they accurately register with theneedles.

The cam ring 40 is then't'urned toward the left 1n.F1g. 2, raising thecamslO, 12, 14 and 46 into the position indicated in Fig. 3. The effectof this movement of the cams upon the needle butts is also indicated inthis figure. The needle cylinder is then turned until all the needleshave been raised into the quills, the needle butts durin this operationpassing through the needfie passage 16 so that they are not raised abovethe tuck level. The quill ring is then removed, the latch ring restoredto position, and the needle cylinder rotated through at least onerevolution. During this revolution of the needle cylinder the needlebutts pass in front of the stitch cam 8 through the groove 16 under thestitch cam 6 and are returned to the tuck level by the cam 10, so thatthe needles will draw the loops of the transferred top down under thenibs of the sinkers without casting off the loops. The stitch cam 8 isthen moved into the path of the long butts while the short butts arepassing, and after the short butts have passed its inward move ment iscompleted so that first the long butt and then the short butt needlesare raised to the clear level and passed over the center cam 14, asindicated in Fig. 5. The yarn is led to the needles in advance of thefirst long butt passing up into the clear level so that the knitting isresumed.

'Instead'of withdrawing the stitch cam 8 in the manner above describedin leveling the needles, the cam ring 40 may be moved into the ositionindicated in Fig. 2 to lower the need e raising and centering calnbefore the stitch cam is withdrawn. In such case the cam 8 will be heldin the dotted line position indicated in Fig. 2 by the needle buttsoverlyin it until the needle cylinder is rotated, w en these needlebutts will engage the stitch cam 6 and be drawn down to the knock overlevel.

In Figs. 9 to 11 a different arrangement of cams is shown. In thisconstruction the stitch cams 52 and 54 are fixed with relation to theneedle elevating cams'56 and 58, and cover cams 60 and 62 are arrangedover the stitch cams to deflect the needle butts pass.- ing over theback of each cam down into alevel to engage the forward ends of theopposite cam. The center cam in this construction is formed in twosections 64 and 66 which are separated to form a needle passage 68 whichis at the tuck level, and through which the needle butts pass when theneedles are raised into the quills of the transferred quill cup. Thesection 66 is secured in fixed relation to the stitch cams while thesection 64 is secured to the vertically movable ring 70 which carriesthe needle raising cams 56 and 58. The needle raising cam 58 is providedwith an upper section or supplemental cam 72 which is mounted in fixed'vertical relation to the switch cam 54, but may be moved radiallycarrying ring is raised and lowered by a cam rmgs provided with a cam 76engag; ing rolls 78 on the ring 7 O.

The mode of operation in leveling :and'

of the short butts, so that the needles pass under the heel stitchcam-54: and through the needle passage 68, as indicated in Flg. 10. Thecam ring 70" is then lowered. to bring the cam into the positionindicated in Fig. 3, and the needle cylinderrotated to level the needleswith their hooks substantially at the level to which they are drawn bythe stitch cams during the knitting, as indicated in Fig. 11. The quillcup is then applied and the cams. raised into normal active position.The needle cylinder is turned to project all the needles into thequills, the needles being raised to the tuck level only since they passthrough the needle passages, as indicated in Fig. 10. After the quillring is removed,.the needle cylinder is given at least one turn to bringthe loops of the transferred top below the nibs of the sinkers, and thenknitting is resumed by returning the cam 72 into active position, thecam being first brought into the path of the long needle butts while theshort needle butts are passing, and thereafter being brought intothe.path of the short needle butts while the long needle butts are passing.

While it is preferred to employ one of the forms of the invention shownand described, it will be understood that these forms are not essentialto the'broader features of the invention, and may be varied and modifiedas found desirable or best suited to the specific construction,arrangement and mode of operation of the knitting and needle-operatingcams of the machine in which the invention is to be embodied.

Having explained the nature and ob ectof the invention and specificallydescribed construction in which it may be embodied, what is claimed is:

1. A circular knitting machine, having in combination, stitch camsand'side cams for raising the needles to the tuck level movablevertically from a position to cooperate with the stitch cams to aposition below the level to which the needles are drawn by the stitchcams.

2. A circular knitting machine, having, in combination, stitchcams,needle raising earns, a center cam between having 'a needle passageat the tuck level, means for directing r When the needles are 'to bebutts during the passage of the lon butts, and is withdrawn from thepath of the long butts during the passage I for thereafter restoringthem .in combination,

in combination,

- raising and drawn by the stitch cams.

the stitch cams the needles ova its needle and means for moving theneedle and center cams from active position toa position below the levelto which the needles are drawn by the stitch cams.

3.'A circular knitting machine, having, in combination, stitch cams,cooperatin side cams for raising the needles to the tue level, and meansfor center cam or through lowering the side cams and leveling theneedles below the stitch cams.

4.- A circul r knitting machine, having,- in combination, stitch cams,cooperating needle raising cams, means for lowering the needle raisingcams and leveling the needles below the stitch cams, means for raisingthe needles to the tuck level and to knittting relation with the stitchand needle raising cams.

-5. A circular knitting machine, having, stitch cams, side cams forraising the needles to the tuck level, a vertically movable carrier forthe needle raising cams, and a cam ring for raising and lowering thecarrier.

6. A circular knitting machine, having, stitch cams, needle raisingcams, a center cam between the stitch cams, a vertically movable carrierfor the needle center cams, and a cam ring for raising and lowering thecarrier.

7. A circular knitting machine, having, in combination, stitch cams,needle raising cams, means for leveling the needles at substantially thelevel to which they are drawn by the stitch cams, means for raising allthe needles to the tuck level and for thereafter restoring them toknitting relation with the stitch and needle raising cams.

8. A circular knitting machine, having, in combination, rotary andheclstitch cams, and side cams cobperating therewith in forming the knittingwaves mounted for vertical movement from knitting position to a positionbelow the levelto which the needles are drawn by the stitchcams.

9. A circular knitting machine, having, in combination, cams for formingthe knitting waves in the needles during rotary and reciprocatioryknitting, comprising stitch cams, one of which is radially movable outof and into position to act on the needles, and side cams mounted forvertical movement from knitting position to a position below the levelto which the needles are X MILLER;

